


A Swing to Victory

by fraufi666



Category: Political RPF - US 20th c.
Genre: American Presidents, Authority Figures, Competition, Golf, Intimidation, M/M, Male Slash, Mild Language, Republican, Romance, Suspense, Vietnam War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 12:23:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3327068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fraufi666/pseuds/fraufi666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>President Nixon and Henry Kissinger go outside for a peaceful game of golf, as well as a chance to spend some time with each other. But what will happen when a previous rival returns to join them? In this encounter, things start to get competitive, not only in the game, but between each other personally. Could it also be possible that Kissinger is developing a liking for Nixon’s opponent?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Swing to Victory

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This story is a historical AU. Although I have used historical figures and some references based from real events, (e.g Vietnam War, Nixon's presidency) this is entirely a work of fiction. All romantic encounters, events and insinuations are from my imagination. I mean no disrespect to any of the people depicted. I am also in no way politically biased. Note: This story was written around the end of the Vietnam War. Johnson was no longer around then, so this is a slightly more fictionalised chain of events.

Richard Nixon looked outside of the window of the Oval Office in dread. It was such a pleasant summer day, ideal for golf. But with such perfect conditions, he was sure that there was going to be heaps of other people outside too. He sighed and turned away. There was a knock at the door.  

"Come in." He barked. 

Henry Kissinger stood in the doorway, his blue eyes wide in curiosity behind his lenses. "Is there something wrong, Mr President?" He asked in concern. Even though Nixon had not said anything, the other man could sense that something was bothering him. Kissinger knew him better than anyone and there was no use keeping anything from his National Security Advisor. 

Nixon gestured at a chair, allowing the other man to take a seat. He collapsed in his own seat in dismay "Damn it Henry. I know it's nothing, but it's such a nice day and I wanted to play golf. But all those other people are going to be out there. I don't know if I want to spend it where the press are in sight."

Kissinger placed a reassuring hand over his arm "Mr President. You do not need to worry about this matter. I am sure there will be people there, but I do not think they would be bothering you. In fact, they might be out sun baking instead." 

Nixon's gaze flickered towards Kissinger. "Y-you think so?" He had felt slightly paranoid about his words, but at the same time, he did not want to be stuck in the office doing dull work on such a beautiful day. 

Finally he stood up with a start. "You know what Henry? I might just do that. Come, join me in a game of golf!"

"But Mr President.." Kissinger began, surprised at Nixon's sudden mood change, but at the same time relieved for being able to change his mind "I don't know how to play-"

"Oh you'll learn!" Nixon interrupted. "Now come on, let's get going."

 

After ringing the golf caddy, the president and his National Security Advisor had arrived at the golf course. Luckily enough, Kissinger was right. The two had the entire course to themselves. Sunlight streamed over the green field and had felt hot against their skin, the sun high in the sky and no shade whatsoever to hide underneath.  

"This is fantastic!" Nixon exclaimed in delight. He turned to the golf caddy "You can go set up everything. I'm taking Kissinger on a detour." 

The caddy nodded obediently "Certainly sir. See you soon." Then, with difficulty he carried the large bag filled with all of the equipment unassisted. As he was walking down the hill, he slipped and tumbled, dropping all of the clubs and all. Nixon shook his head and chuckled to himself. 

Turning to the golf buggy, he gave Kissinger a grin. "Are you getting on or not?" 

The German looked on at the caddy with sympathy, and was going to assist him but Nixon was tooting the horn impatiently. 

"Come on! He'll be fine."

Kissinger sat down beside Nixon in the golf buggy. It was rather small for two grown men, so their thighs were touching the whole trip. There was a bead of sweat on Nixon's forehead as he tried to ignore the sensation, until Kissinger had an idea. 

Smirking, he shifted slightly closer. Nixon blushed, trying to focus on where they were driving. 

But Kissinger was not done yet. With his expression completely calm and showing no trace of emotion, his hand trailed across the seat and then up Nixon's leg, moving closer towards the inside of his thigh.

Nixon gasped and almost swerved into a tree nearby. He slowed down, knowing that if he had stopped suddenly, any onlookers might be suspicious. Kissinger chuckled quietly under his breath.

"Are you okay to drive, Mr President?" He asked him slyly, and then proceeded to squeeze the other man's thigh. "We wouldn't want you to be distracted."

" _You're_ distracting me!" Nixon shouted. With only one hand on the wheel, he tried to move Kissinger's hand from his thigh and back to his lap. 

"Pay attention to where you're driving." Kissinger responded, much to Nixon's annoyance. "We don't want to create a scandal." As he said this, he moved his hand closer to Nixon's crotch, causing the president to swerve suddenly. 

'"Damn it, Henry! Get away from me." Nixon tried to shout, but ended in a gasp instead. He later drove to a secluded area and stopped the buggy. "Henry, not right now-" He started to say but was cut off as Kissinger pulled him close to kiss him on the mouth fiercely. Nixon moaned as the other man bit him on the lip but pulled away, remembering that they were in a public place. 

Just a few miles down the hill, he heard a car stop and chatter. Fortunately the two were too far away for spectators to see what was going on so Nixon was able to breathe a sigh of relief before driving back up to where the game was to be set up. The caddy was standing there patiently for the president and as soon as he saw him, handed the club to him wordlessly. 

Nixon smiled and took it off him. He turned to Kissinger "Now watch." He instructed. Slowly, he practiced a couple of half swings without hitting the ball. Once he had felt that his swing was satisfactory, he turned to the caddy with a nod. The man went over to place a ball on the tee and returned back to his place beside Kissinger. 

Gripping the club tightly, Nixon gave a single swing and straight away the ball fell into the hole. Kissinger clapped, amazed at the president's ability. He had seen him play once before and was not too bad, but it seemed as if he had improved his ability from last time. 

"Thank you Henry." Nixon said, "Now you go and have a try." 

Kissinger shook his head "Oh no, Mr President I couldn't possibly-" but the caddy had already handed another club to him. The National Security Advisor stood awkwardly holding the club, unsure about what he was meant to do with it. He was always really successful and quick in picking up anything theoretically, but on the field was an entirely different story. One part of him wished that he had read a manual before setting outside on the golf course. 

"That's not how to hold the damn thing." Nixon said with a chuckle. He moved close behind Kissinger, placing his hands on his to shift them to the right position. They stood in silent intimacy and Kissinger was tempted to take Nixon's hands and kiss each one. But he easily hid his desires, whilst Nixon began to sweat. Despite being such an intelligent man, Kissinger was absolutely hopeless at holding the golf club. Even though Nixon had instructed him to hold it in a certain way, his hands would slip down to the wrong position. 

"Henry, for god's sakes." Nixon's voice was starting to show a hint of impatience "You move your hands here like so! Do you see?"

Kissinger smiled slightly at the president's tone. Then, before Nixon could say anything, he placed his hands over Nixon's. The president turned bright red once more until Kissinger placed his hands in the correct position on the club. Nixon's face fell as he realised that the National Security Advisor was merely trying his patience on purpose. Shaking his head, he turned away. 

But as soon as he looked back at Kissinger, he was only seconds away from missing the man taking a strong swing, hitting the ball out of range. Nixon chuckled; completely unaware of where exactly Kissinger had managed to hit the ball. 

 

"You god damn idiots!" A voice laced in a Texan accent shouted. 

Kissinger looked suddenly apologetic, and Nixon stopped laughing at once. The voice had sounded so familiar but he could not imagine why this person of all people was here on the golf course with him. 

To Nixon's dread, Lyndon B. Johnson emerged from behind one of the trees, carrying a golf club. "Hello hello Dick!" Johnson bellowed loudly. He was holding the ball that Kissinger had accidentally hit out of range. "This is yours." He said to the German, tossing it into his hand. With that, he slapped him on the shoulder and then Nixon in turn. 

"Is this that fine Jew-boy that is working at your side, Dick?" Johnson asked Nixon "Gee, I wish my members of staff were that willing to go out and play sports with me! Heck, you know how difficult it was to convince them to go skinny-dipping?!"* 

"Johnson..." Nixon said firmly, although he managed to break a smile, knowing that this man was one of the reasons for helping him achieve presidency "We are in the middle of a game here." 

"Oh come on Dick!" Johnson boomed, slapping him on the back again "There's no need to be so formal. We're practically old friends! Brothers even! What do you say, Dick? Want to play a bit?"

Nixon sighed. _So much for having time alone with Kissinger_.

"Alright, Johnson. Just a little bit."

Johnson smiled widely and turned to his own caddy, whom Nixon had only noticed had followed behind the former president quietly. The taller man took hold of a golf club and with a single swing, got a hole in one. 

Nixon's eyes widened in astonishment. He did not expect Johnson to be so good with golf. What would happen if he won? Nixon did not even want to think about it. This was a victory that only he had deserved, just like his presidency.

They walked to the next part of the course, and once again, Nixon and Johnson both got a hole in one. Kissinger reluctantly had another turn, much to Nixon's insistence but preferred to stay out of what had seemed to be a competitive moment. 

Nixon's hands gripped onto the club tighter and his dark eyes were fiery in determination as he strived to win. But Johnson was much too difficult to beat. The taller man effortlessly kept gaining points and was beaming down at Nixon, much to his annoyance. 

"I think we should take a break." Johnson said with a grin, turning to Nixon. The president had a handkerchief to his forehead as he tried to quickly wipe away the beads of sweat  "You look so tired. Am I getting too hard to beat for you, Dick?" 

Nixon shot a glare back, but tried to remain cheerful. He could not let this man get under his skin. "Haha, oh no. It's just the heat." 

Johnson moved closer to him. "Oh yeah?" He drawled and then placed a hand on Kissinger's shoulder. Nixon flinched at the sight, as if he was the one who was being touched. "Well maybe you can continue playing and I'll get to know your National Security Advisor a little better." With that, he flashed a smile and took Kissinger away with him. The German looked quickly at Nixon over his shoulder but Johnson walked him away too fast for them to exchange words. 

Nixon started to march towards them, but later on paused. If he had made it too obvious that he did not want Johnson near him, the other man might start to figure out the relationship between the two. It was a risk that he did not want to take, particularly for the credibility of his reputation, but at the same time he could not stand watching how close Johnson was. He turned away and tried to continue playing but the thought of Johnson with his hand on Kissinger's shoulder was enough to make his blood boil. All concentration had pretty much slipped away so he stood awkwardly, clutching onto the club and staring at the ball furiously. 

He tried a few more times, missing the hole more times than he could count. Later, he dared himself to glance back at Kissinger and Johnson but his heart thudded in his chest at what he had not prepared himself to see.

 

Johnson stood directly in front of Kissinger, peering down at the smaller man intently. Kissinger was transfixed in his gaze, unable to move. Nixon knew this action straight away. The man was performing his Johnson Treatment*, but why? What in the world did he want from his National Security Advisor? Nixon dropped the club straight away and stormed over to the two men. He knew that he would look jealous interrupting them, but he just could not let this continue any longer. Just as soon as he walked up the hill to see them, the strangest thing happened. 

Kissinger grabbed Johnson's arm, running his hand against it. There was a hint of a smile on this man's stoic expression, shocking Nixon instantly. _No._  Nixon thought in horror. _What the hell does he think he is doing?!_ Whatever jealously he had been experiencing earlier had intensified and he was finding it much too difficult to hide the disgusted frown on his face. Kissinger was saying something, staring up at Johnson, his blue eyes twinkling. Twinkling?! This was almost like the way he had stared at him. 

Nixon was sweating so much as he watched them, to the point where he felt like someone had thrown a bucket of water over him. Right as he was trying to mask his jealously, his dreaded sweat problem worked against him. 

He cleared his throat loudly, causing both men to turn their attention to him. Johnson winked at Kissinger briefly, and Nixon felt his cheeks burn. Now he had to win against this man, to really put him back in his place. But how? And the man who was meant to support him was flirting with the enemy. Or at least it looked that way. It could have easily been paranoia, but now that he thought of it, they both looked far too cozy together for it to be a figment of his imagination. 

"So, are you done yet?" Nixon asked gruffly, perhaps a little too impatiently for his intention. Kissinger grinned widely at the president and placed a hand on Johnson's arm. 

"Of course. I was just getting to know your predecessor better." He looked at Johnson appreciatively. 

Nixon was fuming. "Henry, can we talk?" He asked, suddenly terrified of what the two were talking about. Perhaps they were saying things about him. It was strange how anxious he was feeling about Kissinger leaving his side. The man was the only one who truly understood him the most but now he was showing interest in someone else...a person who he saw as his nemesis. 

But to add to Nixon's paranoia, Kissinger stayed put. "I thought you had wanted to play more?" His hand had not left Johnson's arm. What was he trying to do to him? 

"Well if you want to play, boy, then let's play!" Johnson said with a grin. He took hold of his club and marched to where Nixon was standing. The caddy had placed a ball on the tee already and was watching them afar. He could not even see the slight flirtations that Kissinger was giving to Johnson, much to the anger of the president. 

Johnson took a swing, and like a professional, the ball glided effortlessly to the hole.

"When did you learn to play golf like that?" Nixon asked enviously, trying to hide the frustration in his voice. 

The former president spun around to face Nixon with a smile "Oh you know I've had _plenty_ of time to play golf, now that I am no longer president. After I've stepped down, I've become an expert! 'Y'all think that all I do is just spend time at the ranch? A guy needs to take a break from his horses too."

There was a slight crease in Nixon's brow. "Yes…I see." He said, doing his best to shake off his jealousy. "It is certainly much better, having someone capable to put an end to the war…which you started."* 

At Nixon's words, Johnson moved closer, looking directly into his eyes. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me, boy? I guess, maybe the job would have been done sooner, had it not been for some lies and deceit to get in the way." He narrowed his eyes "Don't think for a second that I've forgotten about your tactics, _Tricky Dick_."  

The president felt so small as the taller man looked down on him condescendingly. It would have been better, had he not attacked Johnson's credibility, but at this stage, Nixon had had enough of the older man's tricks. Seeing how well Johnson was doing with golf and trying to steal away Kissinger had made him much too angry to think straight.  

As he tried to think of a way to get back at Johnson's comment, the man had shifted even closer. From this angle, Nixon could see all of the wrinkles on the man's neck, and the lines under the twinkling Texan eyes. 

"I ah…" Nixon began, but before he could utter another word, he felt his whole body shiver and every pore break out in a cold sweat.  He clung onto the club tighter; to hide the shaking, but it was as if Johnson could see right through him. There was no escape. The older man knew him too well. 

"'Y know…" Johnson drawled, "Even if you are president, it is clear that I am the one with the biggest-"

"Please stop." Nixon said quickly, realising that Johnson was going to talk about his manhood again. Even though he was not around in politics when Johnson was president, he had heard several stories about Johnson and his infamous manhood that he was always so impressed by.

"Oh you know about my Jumbo*?" Johnson sneered. He leaned in to whisper, "I bet the only reason why you can't stand me talking about him is because you lack one. Pity this current president lacks the manhood and the balls for the job." 

Nixon glared at him angrily, turning red in embarrassment "Stop this nonsense right now! I want to play golf and I will win against you. You'll see. I'll beat you and your damn Jumbo." 

Johnson looked slightly surprised but he did not show a single sign of worry. "Let's continue the game then!" Johnson shouted cheerily. 

Nixon took a swing of the club, and to his amazement, the ball flew through the air with ease, finally landing into the hole. He smiled, realising that there was probably still a chance that he could claim his victory. He was not going to lose. Not in front of Johnson, not in front of Kissinger and certainly not for himself. He knew that a confident former president was not going to affect him, for he was the one in power. 

He took a glance back at Kissinger who was clapping in approval. It was so tempting to just run up to the man and take him away from Johnson, to prove that he was his, but the other man stood annoyingly between them, making no effort to move. 

"Not bad Dick." Johnson grinned. "Now let me try." The man swung the club, but to Nixon's joy, did not actually succeed. The ball only missed the hole by an inch. "Damn..." Johnson cursed under his breath. 

 

For the next few minutes, Nixon and Johnson had moved out to the more difficult courses. It took more than one swing for each of them to get the ball into the hole, yet Nixon felt his confidence improve dramatically, for he was slowly catching up to Johnson's high score. Johnson appeared calm, but his hands clung to the club in fury, his eyes peering down at the president grudgingly. Seeing the man like that had only made him more elated. 

 _How do you like that, sucker? I said I was going to win and it looks like it's even more possible._ Nixon thought with malice.

Johnson tried furiously to concentrate and succeed; yet he only managed to get a few more points. Kissinger looked on in uncertainty. There was a silence that hung in the air. Both men were lost in their own competitiveness. 

Finally, close to the end of the course, they had reached a tall hill where the hole was placed in the most obscure location. Nixon strained his eyes to see where it was and then, when he finally spotted it, started to feel slightly tense. 

"Is it getting too hard for you now, Dick?" Johnson asked, his voice directly in his ear. Nixon felt himself perspire as he felt the man's close proximity. A hand fell to his shoulder. 

"You know…" Johnson said in a softer voice "I almost regret having let you off the hook so easily."

"What are you talking about?" Nixon demanded, the hand holding the club quivering slightly. "What do you mean?!"

"The Paris Peace Talks of course!" Johnson announced, slapping him on the back, perhaps a little too roughly. Nixon flinched. "I remember what you did, trying to discourage the South Vietnamese president from coming to the table*. Hell, I listened to the phone calls. I saw the transcripts. You may have fooled everyone else, but you certainly did _not_ pull the wool over my eyes. You wanted to win the war as soon as I stepped down. But one day, people will know. People will see you for who you are."

"N-no." Nixon stammered, trying to stop his hands from trembling "You're lying!"

"Ha! You are the last person to talk about lying." Johnson said with a large grin. He patted him on the back. "But I'm a good man. The people won't hear it from me. But you can't keep those people blind for any longer. Sooner or later the wool will unravel and they will see you as the Tricky Dick you are." 

At that, he leaned in closer and stared at him for what had seemed like a long time. Nixon tried to ignore the sweat that was now making his shirt cling to his skin. Those Texan eyes were on his own, unblinking, focussed as if he had finally cornered his prey. Nixon felt himself shrink under the perpetrating gaze. 

"But for now...Good luck!" Johnson called out randomly, clapping him once more on the back. 

 

Yet it was as if the Texan's hand had been cursed, for the confidence that Nixon was experiencing only a moment ago was ebbing away fast. 

Nixon tried to hit the ball the best he could, yet either due to fate, the wind, or Johnson's treatment, the ball only made it up halfway up the hill and was starting to roll down.

"Cocksucker!" Nixon cursed under his breath. 

Johnson flashed a grin, overhearing him. It was just the one thing he needed to add to his brimming confidence. The former president tried to hit the ball upwards, but like Nixon it did not land anywhere near the hole. It was only a few inches in front of Nixon's. 

Kissinger gasped in astonishment as he watched how close the two men were now. 

"It's quite a tie..." He responded in amazement "I do not know which one of you will win."

"Oh come on!" Nixon cried, "Henry, you know it will be me. You know that I'm not a quitter." 

Kissinger turned to address Nixon directly "Yes, you are correct Mr President. But I do not think it is wise to bet on who will win the match. Whoever is most successful will win." 

Johnson beamed "Of course." He drawled. He jerked a thumb at the National Security Advisor "The guy knows I'll be the one to win. Better listen to him."

Nixon coughed embarrassingly before trying again. He had put all of his anger at Johnson, that cocky Democrat, into this swing, hoping that this will help improve his aim. 

The ball was soaring higher, much higher than before. Everyone held his breath, especially Nixon as the ball fell from the sky, towards the green. It was going to reach the hole and his heart was racing. This was victory. He was so close he could almost feel it. 

*Clunk* 

It was the sound, that horrible sound which shattered Nixon's hopes. The ball tapped against the edge of the hole, but did not move any further. Everyone sighed. 

"My turn!" Johnson announced. And with just as much gusto, swung the club, causing the ball to fly in about the same height as Nixon's. But this time, thing were different...

The ball had edged close to the hole, but rather than stopping short, fell in. Nixon in that moment wished that he too could crawl into the hole and stay there, to hide away from that humiliating loss. 

That was it. It was the one thing that caused Johnson to win. A swing to victory. Johnson beamed as he heard Kissinger and the golf caddies clapping. 

Nixon looked back, perplexed and furious that the other man had won. It was highway robbery surely. He had stole from him just as Kennedy had back in 1960. His jaw dropped as he tried to find the words, but everything that came out were half intelligible words. He had wanted to scream at his own caddy for supporting a Democrat, but was unable to. 

"Wh-what…h-how?" was all that Nixon was capable of mustering. 

 Johnson winked, clearly enjoying Nixon's reaction. The poor man was sweating so intensely that it was as if he had a high fever. 

"Ah Dick." Johnson said, placing a hand on his shoulder "You doubted me, just as you did when I was about to step down. But the thing is, you may have won the presidency, but the only true winner, out of all this, is me." He leaned closer, smirking "And what's more, I'm the _true_ swinger out of us two."* 

Nixon's cheeks burned at that last sentence before Johnson went to shake both Kissinger and his hand. He held his hand the longest in his firm grip. 

"Don't worry, Tricky Dick. Enjoy your presidency while it lasts. Remember, the wool can only stay on America's eyes for so long." And with that, he winked and left Nixon gaping in horror, gripped by his now haunted as well as paranoid conscience. 

Kissinger turned back to smile at Nixon "He seems like a nice man, Mr President..don't you think so? We should invite him over sometime. 

But to his surprise, Nixon did not speak. Shakily, he drove Kissinger and himself from the course in the buggy, leaving the caddy to pack up everything. There was silence in the buggy and silence as they made their way back to the White House. 

Just as Nixon walked into the Oval Office, hoping that nobody could question him about his defeat, he felt two hands grab him by the shoulders and pull him into an embrace. 

"Kissinger..." Nixon breathed, comforted and unable to hide his anguish any longer. He hung his head "I'm a loser, you don't need to remind me."

Kissinger held him tighter "Mr President..I do not think you are a loser."

"But surely you heard him!" Nixon gasped, facing him "He threatened me. God. I don't know what to do. What if the people do find out?”

The German's blue eyes were calm "And so if they do? That is not the problem, Mr President. It is good that you are aware of the consequences."

Nixon was furious "So you're saying that I'm going to experience a downfall and I should just accept it?! Well, how about if you accept the facts too!" He jabbed a finger into Kissinger's chest, the anger that he had kept inside for so long now erupting unpleasantly. Tears were threatening to spill out so he hastily blinked them away "I am nothing but a liar! A liar to the people! And a liar to America! What I did, I thought was right at the time…but now-" He could not even bring himself to admit that Johnson was right. 

Kissinger was silent for a long while and it seemed as if he was going to turn around and walk out of the room, but he stayed in place. 

"Richard…" Kissinger said softly, putting a hand to his face "I don't care that you have been deceitful. I am already aware of the necessity of deception within public service to save one's face. And even if you are indeed a Tricky Dick, you're my Tricky Dick and I do not expect you to change. I love you just the way you are."

"Oh shut up." Nixon grumbled, blushing at the man's kind words. Before Kissinger could respond, he put his arms around him, hugging him tightly "God I love you…" He sighed, before planting a kiss to his lips.

"And I love you." Kissinger smiled in response. He placed both hands on Nixon's cheeks, and for the first time since his defeat, Nixon started to smile as well. He had felt so grateful to be in this man's arms once more.  
  


But there was still one unanswered question: one that was plaguing him while they were playing golf. 

"I do have a bone to pick with you though, Jew-boy." Nixon began firmly "I saw the way you were so cozy with Johnson. Why the hell were you trying to set me off? Why were you fraternising with the enemy?"  

Kissinger began to laugh, his shoulders shaking. Nixon looked shocked at his reaction "Don't laugh!" He scolded in annoyance "I was really worried. I thought I could lose you. Why did you try to do that for?"

"Oh Mr President…" Kissinger paused to take off his glasses to wipe away his tears "I am sorry. I did not mean to laugh. It's just that…well, you were so insistent on us not engaging in any public affection and I felt like just playing a trick to see how you’d react, so I decided to turn to your predecessor. The man does not seem to mind, after all. I wonder if…well if he too has his share of indecent affairs." 

Nixon shuddered "I don't want to even _think_ about it." He said, shaking his head. The fact that perhaps Johnson of all people was going to show his colleagues, maybe even him, his Jumbo was too much to behold. 

Kissinger chuckled, kissing Nixon softly on the cheek. Despite being in a relationship for a while with him, it amazed him with how innocent and somewhat pure Nixon's mind still was. But he found it endearing nonetheless. 

 

Now that Nixon had thought of it, he was not really a loser at all, despite losing the game. Credibility was also something that he was also going to lose eventually. But what he had won was the most important thing ever, far more important than anything that Johnson had. And that in turn made him feel more at ease.

  

…The president had won Kissinger's heart. 

**Author's Note:**

> *Footnotes for historical explanations:
> 
> “Heck, you know how difficult it was to convince them to go skinny-dipping?”: It was believed that Lyndon Johnson was so proud of his Jumbo that he would strongly encourage colleagues to go skinny-dipping with him. This was so that he could intimidate them. 
> 
> The Johnson Treatment: To pass bills, Johnson had this style of persuasion where he used his great height to his advantage. He would often stand very closely to his opponent (someone who refused to pass legislation that he wanted to enforce) and stare down at them for a long period of time. Like all tactics of persuasion, this Johnson Treatment was successful, for the opponents of the bill would feel intimidated and agree to pass the bill. This led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, one of Johnsons’ biggest achievements. 
> 
> "It is certainly much better, having someone capable to put an end to the war…which you started.": While it is debatable whether Johnson had actually started the war or not, he did in fact increase escalation by bringing in troops into Vietnam. This was a strong factor that contributed to his downfall. 
> 
> “Jumbo”: It was rumoured that Johnson had a very large manhood, which he was very proud of and would show off whenever he had the chance. This included skinny-dipping (as previously mentioned) to inviting other colleagues to go into the men’s bathroom with him. 
> 
> “I remember what you did, trying to discourage the South Vietnamese president from coming to the table.”: Johnson here is referring to when Nixon had apparently extended the war by putting off the Peace Talks until Johnson had stepped down from presidency. This was so that Nixon would not be “the first president to lose the war”. 
> 
> “I'm the true swinger out of us two”: Like Kennedy, Johnson surprisingly had spent a great deal of time with secretaries and other women. In here I have alluded that he might have fancied the men as well, but I do not know if this is an actual fact.


End file.
